Oct 28, 2016

This Saturday is a big event called Trunk or Treat. It lasts from 3:00-5:00 in the afternoon on that
Saturday and is fun for our church young people as well as many youngsters from
our immediate neighborhood. There will be candy, food, and family fun for all ages.

Also, Loyalty Sunday
is this Sunday with nationally recognized speaker, preacher, and author Kent
Millard being our special guest at all three Sanctuary services. You are invited to bring your pledge card forward for dedication at the communion rail. All are invited to come forward and pray.

Because some of you think I am too long-winded, I will
summarize my understanding of Christian stewardship in brief:

The
point of Christian stewardship is not to repay God what we owe God. The point
of Christian stewardship is to share what God has given each of us with those
with whom God wants us to share. When we share God’s bounty we live up to the
promise of scripture. One promise suggests that “We love because he first loved
us” (1 John 4:19).

Our Stewardship campaign title for the 2017 budget process
is: “Steps to Stewardship: The Gratitude
Path.” Dr. Kent Millard, the author of The
Gratitude Path: Leading Your Church to Generosity, which our church will
base our upcoming worship series on, will be with us on October 30, which
is Loyalty Sunday.

The Sunday that Dr. Millard is with us and during our
worship services, you and your household will be given an opportunity to
dedicate your life and gifts to God for the coming year 2017. Your estimate of
giving helps our finance committee set a conscientious budget for the coming
year.

May God help us make this a cheerful and joyous month of
worship for our great church family. May God also help us consider our
gratitude before God.

Oct 14, 2016

The early church believed that within each church body, they
had the necessary elements to respond to a world full of need in the name of
Jesus Christ. Today, however, in the age of specialization and specialists,
many of us sit on the sidelines. We watch others fulfill our ministry for us.
This “spectator mentality” has two primary, and unfortunate, outcomes.

The first is that for the handful of folks actually involved
in the hands-on ministry of the church, there develops an undermining sense
that, when verbalized and blurted out, says, “I have to do everything around
here.” Certainly, no one intends to develop an attitude of resentment toward
others. Yet the sin of resentment creeps up on us even when we try to respond
to God’s love through the ministries of Christ’s church.

There is a theory called the “Pareto Principle” that states
that 20% of the people in any organization do 80% of the work. In the realm of
church stewardship, it is uncanny that on a consistent basis, in the giving
patterns in all sorts of churches, 20% of church members give 80% of the
money used for missions, operation, outreach, and in-reach.

A second unfortunate outcome of having a mere handful of
people participating in the life of the church and its ministries in this
“spectator mentality” is that spectators may feel a momentary thrill of
watching someone else’s victories, but this participation is shallow and
fleeting.As fulfilling as it is
watching someone else succeed, success doubles in enjoyment when we have a hand
in it. The idea of participation was one of the early church’s most brilliant
strategies. No one watched while others lived out their faith. Rather each
participated in the faith and its outreach.

During the Middle Ages, when Popes, priests, or other minor
clergy assumed the tasks of faithfulness for the laity, the overall strength of
the church of Jesus Christ waned.It was
only during the Reformation, when Protestants took up the scriptures, read them
for themselves in their native tongues, and felt called to pray for one another
and for themselves without a priestly intercessor that the church began to
refresh its spiritual strength and vitality.

We are stewards of God’s gifts because we want to walk the
gratitude path!

Oct 7, 2016

“That is what the Son of Man has done: he came to serve, not be served (Matthew 20:28).

My friend, Rob Fuquay, who will be
at our church next week for The Gathering, wrote the following to his
congregation (St. Luke’s UMC, Indianapolis) this week:

David
Brooks and Travis Smiley shared the stage at Clowes Hall, Butler University,
for the inaugural Faith and Action event. The purpose of this program is to
motivate and guide people to combat poverty. Brooks talked about the problems
of social isolation and behavioral challenges behind much of our present ills.
Smiley talked about the significance of practicing love and compassion and the
real difficulty of being a just and equal society. They even delved into the
controversial topic of kneeling during the national anthem.

But
one line from the night stuck out to me. Smiley talked about the importance of
leadership and how everyone is called to lead. He said, "You can't lead
people without loving people, and you can't save people without serving
people." Of course, he was unashamed about acknowledging his Christian
faith for this ideal, but he also used it as a challenge particularly to the
Christian community to live up to our beliefs and values. Another line, related
to this thought was used by Brooks. I can't remember who he quoted, but someone
was talking with him one time about all the programs created to combat poverty
and help people get ahead. This person said to him, "Programs don't change
people, relationships do."

I
just think of the truths of these statements and the way I see them lived out
before my eyes at St. Luke's. Our Getting Ahead program matches people looking
to get out of poverty with people in our church. Through these relationships
folks find encouragement, counsel, and support to get to a new place of freedom
and hope. I watch our volunteers every Wednesday evening share in the English
as a New Language classes. (I have to be careful here lest it sound like good
church people helping needy people outside the church. These volunteers would
point out that they are the ones receiving the blessing. It is simply people
helping each other and they are in the church!)

The
world gets changed, lives get changed, when we simply love and serve people.
This is how we make an impact. How different would our world be if every
Christian every day asked, "Lord Jesus, who do you want to love and serve
through me today?"